Nature has endowed this universe with many beautiful life forms, of so many different shapes, sizes and abilities. Most animal forms have the ability to produce sounds and some of them even have the capability to communicate using varied sounds. Man is unique in that he can express his thoughts using sound. The ability to express his thoughts through sounds has evolved into an art which we call music. Music can thus be defined as an art form that arranges sounds in a fashion that follows certain natural principles and provides that special inner feeling of happiness and contentment. It is important to note that the basic principles are natural and thus the theory of music is only an attempt by man to rationally explain what is already beautiful. As a fringe benefit, this rationalization helps in understanding the inherent beauty of music and creates increasingly higher levels of appreciation in the listener.
Indian music is closely interwined with religion. Legendary belief is that Indian music originated from the primordial sound, or 'Shabdha Brahma', OM. The Vedas of ancient Hindus are at least 4000 years old. And Indian music traces its origin to the Sama Veda. It is therefore the oldest system of music in the world, reaching back to 2000 years before Christ.
Of the two systems of Indian classical music, Carnatic Music, which originated in South India, is Kriti (song) based and saahitya (lyric) oriented. But what distinguishes Carnatic music tradition from all other systems in the world is "Bhava", its most vital bulwark. ' Bhava ' means many things to many people-melodic excellence, ready appeal, soporific effect etc. The flow of words has a mysterious force that accentuates the flow of melody. The very articulation of the inspired word in union with rhythm and melody penetrates the soul. The agreement between Raga, Tala and Bhava is the hallmark of genuine composition.
Carnatic music owes its vitality not to those who seek to change its face but to those who love it and nourish its spirit by harnessing their creativity to exploration of the beauty found in its tradition. Thus the men who made history in Carnatic music were not radicalists but super musicians who were identified with its timeless glory and rasa and found fulfillment in continuing the traditional stream of excellence.
In the years 1763 to 1775 were born the Trinity of Carnatic Music Syama Sastri, (1763-1827), Sadguru Thyagaraja Swami (1767-1847), and Sri Muthuswami Deekshitar (1775-1835) . They were the architects of the Golden age of Carnatic music. Suffice it to say that Carnatic music owes its stupendous development to the Trinity.
The compositions of the Trinity are noteworthy for both the music and the word content. The overwhelming variety of compositions - Varnam, Kriti, Padam, Swarajati, Tillana & Javali present Raga pictures in tangible, authentic format. Since then, the compositions of these saint composers largely dominated Carnatic music recitals.
